anaconda

Anacondas are giant, nonpoisonous snakes. They live in or near water in warm parts of South America. Anacondas are constrictors. This means that they usually kill their prey by coiling their body around it and squeezing until the animal can no longer breathe. Anacondas are one of the two largest types of snakes in the world. Certain pythons grow longer, but anacondas are much heavier.

Anacondas are members of the boa family. There are two species, or types, of anaconda: the giant, or green, anaconda and the yellow, or southern, anaconda. The giant anaconda is the larger species. It is usually brown or olive green with oval-shaped black spots. The yellow anaconda is tan or greenish yellow with overlapping black spots.

The largest anacondas reach about 30 feet (9 meters) in length, but most grow only to about 16 feet (5 meters). Some anacondas weigh as much as 550 pounds (249 kilograms). Their thick, bulky bodies may measure 12 inches (30 centimeters) or more around.

Anacondas usually hunt at night for mammals, reptiles, and birds. Although anacondas constrict larger prey, they may kill turtles, birds, or other small animals by using their mouth and sharp teeth alone. Sometimes they may pull their prey underwater to drown it. After killing their prey, anacondas swallow it whole.

Nine months after mating, female anacondas give birth to large litters of live young. A litter has 14 to 82 young. Each young measures more than 2 feet (0.6 meter) long.

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